


Overdosed on Confidence

by dls



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 5+1, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Captain America is a Lie, Civil War Team Iron Man, Gen, Super Soldier Serum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 04:56:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12124992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dls/pseuds/dls
Summary: Out of all the good men who could have been chosen for the super soldier serum, why Steve Rogers?Or: 5 (real) Reasons Steve Rogers was Chosen for the Super Soldier Serum and the 1 (fake) Reason He was Told





	Overdosed on Confidence

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tamani17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tamani17/gifts).



> Is it possible to have writing mood swings? My brain seriously went from dark to fluffy to salty in the span of one day lol.
> 
> Inspired by [tamani17](https://archiveofourown.org/comments/116601540).
> 
> References/Quotes   
>  Title from "Headlines" by Drake.    
>  _Captain America: the First Avenger._ _Captain America: Civil War._

**One.**    

_Name: Steven Grant Rogers_

_Birth Date: July 4, 1918_

_Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York City, NY_

_Father: Joseph Rogers (deceased, May 8, 1918)_

_Mother: Sarah Rogers (deceased, October 15, 1936)_

*

"No siblings?"

"No, Sir." 

"Friends?" 

"One James Buchanan Barnes, recently deployed to England with the 107th Infantry Regiment." 

"Neighbors?" 

"They do their best to avoid him and Rogers keeps to himself mostly."

Colonel Phillips considered this. 

Rogers had no immediate family and the only close friend was overseas. Given his reputation within his neighborhood, it was supremely unlikely that anyone would raise questions or launch investigations should he joined a ambiguously worded military program and disappeared thereafter. 

It was all rather convenient. 

 

 **Two.**    

_Address: 14047 Brooklyn Street, Brooklyn, NY_

_Education: George Washington High School, Brooklyn, New York City (1932-1936)_

_Occupation: Unemployed_

*

"What was his last known job?"

"Rogers held a part-time position collecting scrap metal for the local factory for the three months, but the owner eventually let him go due to spotty attendance and poor job performance due to his many health issues and frequent run-ins with the law."

"Did they part on good terms?"

"No, Sir. The owner filed a complaint with the local police department when Rogers trespassed on private property."

"Good."

Aside from friends and family, the people most likely to report a missing person were the employers. Rogers had not been able to hold a steady job since he graduated from high school six years ago, working just enough to sustain his meager lifestyle and relying on the charity of his friend for unforeseen costs such as hospital visits. 

No one would be looking for him, in either personal or professional capacity. 

 

 **Three.**     

_Height: 5'7"_

_Weight: 110lbs_

_Eyes: Blue_

_Hair: Light brown_

* 

"Are these numbers accurate?"

"No, Sir. We have evidence that Rogers exaggerate his stature to make himself more appealing for enlistment. His last doctor's visit in Brooklyn indicated that his actual height is 5'4" and weight is 95lbs."

The other applicants under consideration for Project Rebirth were of good health and of average or above average build to withstand the demands of the trial. However, this also meant their transformation, if successful, would not be as stark a contrast as it might be for Rogers. Project Rebirth was absurdly expensive, even with Stark supplying the equipment at cost. To keep this program afloat, financial support from government officials and private investors was crucial. Senator Brandy, in particular, had been demanding results with draining patience and looser temper. 

An extraordinary before-and-after could be precisely what was needed to reinvigorate old interests and spark new ones. 

 

 **Four.**    

_Summary of Health Issues: N/A_

_Asthma [  ]_

_Scarlet fever [  ]_

_Rheumatic fever [  ]_

_Sinusitis [  ]_

_Chronic or frequent colds [  ]_

_Poor eyesight [  ]_

_High blood pressure [  ]_

_Diabetes [  ]_

_Palpitation or heart trouble [  ]_

_Easy fatigability [  ]_

_Nervous trouble of any sort [  ]_

*

"This is Rogers' medical history declaration?" 

"Yes, Sir." 

"He must think the army to be stupid." 

"I doubt he thinks much, Sir." 

Colonel Phillips glanced at Sergeant Duffy, surprised by the scathing comment but agreed with the assessment. 

The probability of the serum failing was high, hence their original selection criteria for possible participants to be of a certain fitness level and medical background. Rogers, on paper, appeared a suitable candidate to undergo the experiment. If only because he falsely claimed to be of sound health, which he had a history of doing in his many attempts to defraud the United States government.

This could be used to Project Rebirth's advantage. Should Rogers reject the serum, it could be attributed to his existing conditions and not because of the formula. 

 

 **Five.**    

_Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor? Yes [  ]  No [x]_

_Have you ever been convicted of a felony? Yes [  ]  No [x]_

*

"While Rogers has no convictions on record, he has multiple arrests under his name for assault, battery, disorderly conduct, and trespassing. No charges were pressed because in all incidences, he ended up being the more grievously injured party." 

"Thinking isn't his strong suit, is it?"

"No, Sir." 

Rogers tended to charge head first into any situations he perceived to be unjust and at any person who disagreed with his set of rigid ideals. Thankfully, his small stature and lack of coordination meant those he accosted usually walked away without a scratch while Rogers could be left gasping for air due to his asthma or on the ground when he tripped over his own feet. It was clear that Rogers favored action over thought. With the right words, he could be pointed at any direction without questions, as long as he believed he was fighting for the elusive greater good and upholding the subjective concept of righteousness. 

Obedience was valuable but in lieu of that, gullibility would do as well. 

 

**One.**

After much deliberation, Colonel Phillips had selected Steven Grant Rogers to be the ideal candidate for the super soldier serum. This decision was made not despite of Rogers' obviously lacking attributes but because of them.

His poor health served as both a selling point and a chance to claim plausible deniability. His absence would have no impact on his community to warrant a search party or posted flyers. His personality blinded him to risks and made him susceptible to manipulations. 

Rogers was the perfect choice but now they needed an equally perfect excuse to sell to Dr. Erskine, who guarded his formula possessively and needed to believe his work was worth something, was doing good in the world, after the disaster with Schmidt. If Rogers could boost the good doctor's confidence and encourage him to enhance the serum, then all the better. 

The public would gobble up the fiction of Captain America, a little guy made great by his pure heart. Posters of a tall and muscular man clad in a red, white, and blue uniform were already drafted, with the face left blank and the cowl covering the hair color. The Star Spangled Singers had been practicing their routines for months. Several skits were written and role call for actors would go out once they had a leading man. 

*

"I asked for an army and all I got was you. You are not enough." Colonel Phillips gritted his teeth as he attempted to swallow his frustration. Rogers was never meant for combat, he was purely commercial.

"With all due respect to the Colonel, I think we may be missing the point. I've seen you in action, Steve." Senator Brandt cut in, smooth and ready with his good-cop routine. "More importantly, the country's seen it. The enlistment lines have been around the block since your picture hit the newsstands. You don't take a soldier, a symbol like that, and hide him in a lab. Son, do you want to serve your country on the most important battlefield of the war?" 

"Sir, that's all I want." Steve seemed gratified by this turn of events, taking each word as validation for an accomplishment he did not earn. 

"Then, congratulations. You just got promoted." 

*

Nearly a century later, the lie had become a legend. Superheroes splintered into factions and citizens around the world cried out for their teams.

"I know you were only doing what you believe in, and that’s all any of us can do, it’s all any of us should." 

Steve Rogers believed he was a good man and acted on it accordingly, unflinchingly, and dangerously.  

**Author's Note:**

> [dls-ao3.tumblr.com](https://dls-ao3.tumblr.com/)


End file.
